


Memories

by arysthaeniru



Series: the city is an abyss [6]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: Other, crime ring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-14
Updated: 2014-10-14
Packaged: 2018-02-21 03:25:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2452964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arysthaeniru/pseuds/arysthaeniru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Literacy is his gift and his curse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memories

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sumiya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sumiya/gifts).



One of Yanagi’s earliest memories was of learning how to read. He remembered the warm scent of his mother’s cheap perfume, as his elder sister and he crowded around the pages of one of the older, obsolete versions of the textbooks used in the schools on the hill. He remembered her dirty fingers moving along the words and the little strategies she had taught them for how to add large numbers quickly, and most importantly, how to speak well and pretend like you knew everything. 

On the streets, where Yanagi had owned little, he had treasured, guarded and cultivated his literacy, in every way that he could, while cowering from the sunlight. He’d become known as the blind teacher, to most of the orphaned children and even adults who lined the streets, as the slums grew in size and the factories killed more and more families. The more well-off street-brats, who had a sibling that worked, or who worked a job themselves had found themselves flocking to his side, and in exchange for payment and shelter, Yanagi taught them how to read, how to write and how to speak like the people on the hill.

That was how Yukimura had found him, and how his life had fallen into place. Yanagi thought Yukimura and Sanada how to read and Sanada taught him how to hit and how to take a hit well, despite being half-blind from the sunlight. He’d never asked Yukimura how Yukimura would pay him back. Something about Yukimura had told Yanagi that he was not doing a free service, and when Yukimura’s sweet-talking managed to acquire them a warehouse, some new clothes and access to weapons, Yanagi’s world became easier.

He was still a teacher, but now he taught in the darkness of his own house(!) and he got to choose his students. Of course, back when the organization had first been starting, Yanagi had taught all of the new recruits their basics, and from there, some od the new recruits remained teachers for the next batch, and then Yanagi had only ever had to deal with students who were exceptionally bright and the students who needed extra attention. 

“Yanagi-san?” Urayama Shiita smiled sunnily, as he handed over his calculations. The geometry and the diagrams spilled across the page neatly, with a perfect script and Yanagi quickly flicked through the pages, working out the answers mentally, as he glanced at the questions. 

“All correct.” said Yanagi, decisively. “Now, do the calculations along page 394 and see if you think that they’re just as easy.” Urayama’s eyes lit up at the challenge as he hunkered down to work, a soft humming coming from his throat as he neatly went through problems. 

By all standards, Urayama was the perfect pupil and was a pleasure to work with. but as Urayama worked, Yanagi couldn’t help but think of his more memorable student, who had always been more of the sort to need remedial help. 

_Kirihara Akaya tossed back his glossy black curls, as he lazily tapped his pen against his cheek. “Layik Jenivay is bootifurru in the summerru.” he said, slowly in stilted english. While his mathematics and science were very strong and his literacy was perfect, his foreign language skills were beyond poor._

_Yanagi unleashed an irritated glare at Akaya. “No.” he said, firmly. “Try again.”_

_Akaya sat up a little straighter, his bony shoulders poking through the luxurious fabric of his shirt and his cheeks pink with self-righteous disagreement. “No, I got it that time around, didn’t I?” he protested, his pink shiny lips forming a whole o._

_“Evidently not.” said Yanagi, with an unimpressed look._

_With a loud whine, Akaya flopped back into his chair, baring his milky neck up to sky,. his adam’s apple bobbing. “But senpai, this is the seventeenth time...” Despite Akaya only being two years younger than him, Akaya used senpai for him almost religiously. It was interesting, when Akaya showed so little respect to any of the other traditions of the city, his honourifics were one thing solid about his comportment._

_“Good, you can count.” Yanagi said dryly as he rapped against Akaya’s fingers sharply with his pencil, trying to ignore how Akaya’s arm hair stood on end when Yanagi’s fingers brushed the back of Akaya’s wrist. “And we’ll keep repeating it until you can pronounce it properly.” he said._

_Akaya sighed, blew out a lock of hair from his eyes, and tried again_

Yanagi looked up as the sound of his door smashing inwards sounded through the house. Urayama looked up from his paper and Yanagi didn’t even hesitate as he reached into his desk drawer for the pistol and held it in the face of the intruder as Kamio Akira burst into the room. He didn’t even look fazed at the gun as he clutched his knees and bent over, his sweaty red hair flipping in front of his eyes. “Trouble around the other side of the slum. Riot. I didn’t get to the centre, Tachibana sent me over to tell you lot before that.”

Tachibana was the leader of a small section of the slums that were closer to the city than most of the slums and he kept order well enough that Yukimura just made Tachibana swear loyalty to him, and incorporated Tachibana under him. While Tachibana disapproved of Rikkai and Yukimura’s methods, he understood the necessity of crime and keeping things organized. 

Yanagi lowered his gun, with a serious frown on his face. “Go find Niou, Kamio.” he said, not offering him any rest. “Urayama, your lesson’s done. Get your motorbike, and go to headquarters to alert the others.” he said, as he reached for his blindfold and draped it over his eyes. He couldn’t bear the light, but if there were riots...he feared the cause. He had to be there. Had skipping out on interrogating the government mole led to this?

He couldn’t bear to think that Akaya had been careless enough to let that pass. one thing that Yanagi had noted from their only city-criminal was how thorough and ruthless he was when it came to any practical application of his talents. Akaya wouldn’t have missed a detail from the government mole. If this was what he suspected, it was not a pre-mediated attack. 

Urayama’s figure quickly packed up his books and sprinted out of the door. Kamio, upon catching his breath also left and Yanagi followed, switching off the dim lights inside his otherwise dark house, reducing the slight hints of red against his eyelids to a complete black.

This would be bad. He hoped that Urayama would make it to Yukimura in time, so Yukimura could send back up to calm down the people. Yanagi tightened his mouth as the sunlight started to illuminate his eyes again. This was the part he always hated about leaving his abode, but sacrifices had to be made for the betterment of everyone.


End file.
